Author Uozumi
Genre General
Rating G
Disclaimer The characters and fandom contained belong to their respective creators and owners.
Summary One night, Kaidoh runs into Momoshiro while looking for Hazue.
Note Believe it or not, the inspiration for this fic came from Ed, Edd, and Eddy's episode "O-Ed Eleven" when Ed said, "Because I am a brother, Double D."
Momoshiro slowed his bicycle peddling, approaching with caution. At first, he planned on revving up as far as he could go just to see how much wind shear he caused when he passed Kaidoh at top speed, but as he got closer, the less he felt like it. There was clearly something wrong with Mamushi.
The older second-year looked normal enough. He was wearing that silly running outfit complete with clashing bandana. He was jogging too, but the steps kept faltering, and he ran from one side of the street to the other. Sometimes he stared off at a particular area before resuming his run. If you could call it that. Watching Kaidoh slow yet another time, Momoshiro decided it was not a run.
Kaidoh frowned and stopped again. Hearing a twig snap, he turned around and came face to face with Momoshiro on his bicycle. Hissing, Kaidoh cursed his luck. He had no time to deal with his rival.
"Oi! Mamushi!" Momoshiro coasted the rest of the way. If Kaidoh knew he was there, there was not any point in staring back stupidly. "What are you doing?"
Kaidoh thought about just leaving Momoshiro by the way side and continue about his business, but he had not been brought up that way. Even if Momoshiro annoyed the hell out of him, he still had to be semi-polite and stay put until the gregarious teenager left. Though, if Momoshiro detained him too long, it would only complicate everything.
Momoshiro waited for a response, even an annoyed hiss. He received darting eyes and a distant expression. He did not like being ignored. The only reason he bothered with the introverted tennis player was because he could get a rise out of him.
Kaidoh finally hissed. "I have to go."
"To do what?" Momoshiro did not want this to end luke warm. Maybe he should have just blown Kaidoh by earlier.
Kaidoh hesitated and then answered, "To find my brother." This was embarrassing, but he was not going to let that idiot Momoshiro know! Kaidoh liked his unapproachable image. He liked how people left him alone, thinking he was an anti-social misfit.
Momoshiro blinked. "Brother?" He never really thought about Kaidoh having siblings. Hell, if he had never met Kaidoh's mother, he probably would have thought Kaidoh slithered in and out of a cave.
"Yeah." Maybe if he answered the questions, Momoshiro would shove off so he could find Hazue in peace. When he got home from his afternoon run, his mother told him Hazue had run off after getting into an argument with her. His brother was in his last year of elementary school, and was starting to develop a smart mouth. Hazue sometimes did and said things that Kaidoh would never begin to imagine doing or saying to any adult. After Hazue stormed off, his mother always seemed to write it off as "hormones."
This time though, Hazue took off after he got back from school and had not been seen since. Kaidoh's father should be home soon, and since his mother had not called him, Hazue should still be out somewhere. Kaidoh, of course, would die before he told any of this to Momoshiro.
Momoshiro did not realize he was walking with Kaidoh. When the taller boy resumed his search, Momoshiro simply followed. The more he watched Kaidoh, the more he recognized his rival was possibly distraught. Though, Mamushi did not seem the type who would get distraught over things. Not that Momoshiro knew of any other moods besides indifference, annoyance, and feral anger.
"Stop following me," Kaidoh let out an annoyed hiss. Was Momoshiro trying to provoke something? Ever since they met, the pair rubbed each other the wrong way in most situations.
Momshiro ignored the command. Mamushi could not order him around. Though it did look like Kaidoh was having a time of it. Momoshiro knew that if his little brother or sister was out this late at night, he would be canvassing the area around their house, trying to cover as much ground as possible. Momoshiro found himself looking around, even though he had no idea what Kaidoh's brother looked like. Poor kid probably looked exactly like his brother. Only smaller. But was he looking for Kaidoh in a smock? Kaidoh in a smock…
"What's so funny?" Kaidoh looked over his shoulder. Momoshiro was snickering over something, and he hoped it was not how he looked. Kaidoh did not feel like destroying his image right now.
"Nothing, nothing…So…" Momoshiro rustled through some bushes that looked like a hiding place his sister might have picked, "how old is he?"
"Sixth-year," Kaidoh answered before freezing. "Hazue!"
Momoshiro blinked and watched Kaidoh shoot forward, putting a smaller boy into what looked like a headlock. Kaidoh was saying something fast succession, his brother's shouts punctuating his older brother wisdom.
No, that could not be right. Mamushi did not have a bone in his body that would touch another person. He did not speak a lot either, let alone so quickly. Besides, headlocking was Momoshiro's thing!
Roughing Hazue's hair up a bit, Kaidoh let him go. "Idiot," he finished, letting the last word hiss out. The boy beside him only snorted and pushed at him. "Let's go." As they started off to their house, Kaidoh looked back at Momoshiro, giving an awkward wave in thanks before turning a corner.